Colorado recall elections won't be all-mail

DENVER - The Colorado Supreme Court declined Thursday to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that forces election officials to allow candidates to apply for ballot access as late as 15-days before two recall elections set for September 10.

The ruling comes from a 3-3 split among the justices, with Justice Gregory Hobbs not participating in the decision.

"The decision of the district court in this matter is final and is not subject to further appellate review," the order stated.

If the high court had accepted the appeal, it would have put the deadlines and potentially the election date in jeopardy.

The Denver District Court ruling will likely mean the elections will be conducted in-person at polling places, with a lot of wrangling needed to ensure that military and overseas voters can participate.

Elections officials began crafting new emergency rules to comply with the 15-day deadline Thursday, which was pointed out in a lawsuit by the state Libertarian party.